Queens commuters take an 'L' — 'It may be too crowded to board the first train'
/
The MTA is offering several alternatives to L train riders impacted by upcoming repair work, including increased M and G train service, new bus routes and free out-of-station transfers. Image via the MTA.
By Jonathan Sperling
Oh L no!
The MTA has detailed the specific service disruptions that will hit the L train beginning this weekend and provided a a series of alternative travel options in order to minimize the impact on riders.
Approximately 225,000 L train straphangers — tens of thousands of whom live in Ridgewood, Maspeth and Glendale — can expect severely stalled subway service beginning at around 8 p.m. on Friday, April 26. The service disruptions are expected to last 15 to 20 months, according to the MTA.
L trains will arrive in Manhattan a minimum of every 20 minutes while L service between Lorimer Street and Rockaway Parkway will continue every 10 minutes, with overcrowding likely.
“In Manhattan and at Bedford Av, the L will arrive every ~20 minutes, but at certain times, it may be too crowded to board the first train,” NYCT Subway tweeted Monday.
This means that some L train users headed to Manhattan can expect at least 40 minute wait at times.
But not all hope is lost. The MTA is offering substitute service in the form of increased service on surrounding lines, re-routed lines and new Williamsburg bus routes.
On weeknights, when L train service is further reduced, M trains will run more frequently on their regular route until 1:30 a.m., after which trains will go to the 96th Street-2nd Avenue station on the Q line. M trains will also extend to 96th Street-2nd Avenue and run more frequently on the weekends.
The G train, which connects riders to the A, C, 7 and E trains and runs every 10 minutes on weekends, will run every 8 minutes during the L train work. Extra G trains will be added on weeknights as well. The No. 7 train will also make additional trips on weeknights.
Riders with MetroCards will also receive a free transfer between Hewes Street on the J/M lines, Broadway on the G line and Lorimer Street on the J/M lines. Residents living further south on the line can transfer for free between Livonia Avenue on the L line and Junius Street on the No. 3 line.
In addition, the MTA will deploy new bus service in lower Manhattan and Williamsburg. The M14A and M14D will run every three to five minutes during busy times, and the new B91 and B92 bus routes — known as the Williamsburg Link buses — will run on nights and weekends to connect Bedford Avenue on the L line, Metropolitan Avenue/Lorimer Street on the G/L lines, Marcy Avenue on the J/M lines and Hewes Street on the J/M lines.
“When you think about how the #LProject will impact your travel, other trains might come to mind first--but consider that buses might actually be your best bet to get across town in Manhattan, and to connect you to the G train or our enhanced M train service in Williamsburg,” NYCT Subway tweeted Monday.
